Choisy Theatre offers a venue for linguistic diversity

"Take into account the reality of the people, integrate it, work with it through the prism of language, hear their wealth, listen to this multilingual culture, offer a place for multidisciplinary shows and fight for programming worthy of the service public" are a fertile and precious soil that "makes it possible to build something that has relevance" for Vanessa Mestre. The Choisy theatre, today, has a good attendance. 80% of the audience is local and this year, the program reaches 70% women. There is even an overrepresentation!"

a theatre that works for the well-being of people

A city theatre must bring people together. For the director of the theatre of Choisy: creation, mediation, artistic education have a real meaning, a real scope. And then there is the establishment of residencies: the arrival of the Congolese dancer and choreographer, DeLaVallet Bidiefono, who expresses the language of the body as an extension of the project; that of Denis Podalydès, accompanied by Éric Ruf, Laurent Mauvignier, who stages The Storm Alexandre Ostrovski, with this troupe of comedians of the Comédie française who play for 3 weeks during the Christmas holidays. "And this happy audience who comes to see you at the end of the show, it’s dizzying." This year, the Choisy theatre welcomes, among others, Didier Ruiz to work on his new creation. Offering another way of seeing, thinking, responding to the charter of a conventioned scene "by affirming the civic footprint of a theatre in the city", is a necessity to shape "a theatre that works for the well-being of people".

Meet Vanessa Mestre

Is linguistic diversity the major and predominant argument in the development of contemporary theatre creation for the Choisy theatre?

"The theatre accompanies almost exclusively multilingual artistic projects, presenting one or more languages on stage, or of international scope. The programming obviously welcomes them within a construction of eclectic shows, of contemporary writing, which fall under different aesthetics and for all ages. Linguistic diversity thus colours the programming that is open to the world and its multiple cultures, with a course of action attentive to ensure that it is never synonymous with assignment."

How would you define linguistic diversity? And in what way is linguistic diversity essential to you?

'My project focuses on enhancing the diversity of people, expressions and territories in which plurilingualism becomes a requirement in today’s societies. Its primary function is to maintain the diversity of viewpoints, to open the mind to otherness. I can only quote Michel Serres on what is beyond languages :

'Languages are a treasure and convey something other than words. Their function is not limited to contact and communication. They are on the one hand fundamental markers of identity, they are structuring, on the other hand, of our perspectives. ' 

My reflections have constantly brought me back to the consideration of cultural diversity, which is essential vis-à-vis the territory where the Theatre is established and therefore the intercultural dialogue that must be conducted with the interest of carrying out an international project. But inviting and showing the world on a stage is not enough, and after an experiment on linguistic diversity carried out by the previous director of whom I was the assistant, I decided to extend a single and singular route and give a broader scope of intervention for cultural rights.

Working on cultural rights, in concrete terms, means telling people that all the cultures they hold are important, and it means allowing everyone the right to participate in cultural life.

The conventioned scene dedicated to the enhancement of cultural diversity in general is thus working more broadly on these important issues, marking the civic footprint of a theatre in the city.

© Façade of the Choisy Theatre and Cinema

Linguistic diversity also means opening up the field of language definition and in particular to consider the body’s languages as stakeholders. Thus choreographic creations are completely integrated into the scope of work. I am also attentive to the LSF by inviting signed shows as much as possible.

Tell me about this linguistic diversity that necessarily intersects with cultural diversity?

The culture of diversity is that of the plurality of views, of thought and of expressions, with respect for singularities.

First of all, the representativeness of the population must be reflected on stage as well as in the audience. Today, we must encourage the presence of immigrants and multicultural creators and performers. I have found that this better representativeness on the stage promotes a greater social diversity of the audience in the theatres.

To say that all cultures are important is to give them hospitality and a window of visibility by welcoming international programming in a multicultural scope by making room for the diversity of languages, the origins and cultures that contribute to the richness of today’s artistic expressions. The territory has a key card: many inhabitants have an international history. To share these forms and stories elsewhere is to give an artistic identity to a territory and reduce the tendency for community withdrawal.

It is to welcome artists present in France or in Europe who grasp their own history, and who question through the prism of the stage what constitutes the major issues such as migration, artists who engage the public in the experience of otherness. It is to enhance the cultures present and also to get closer to the cooperations that the city conducts, or even European devices.

© view of the Choisy theatre

Does a theatre have to be part of the territory, totally embracing the place where it is established? The public square? Should we be talking about a territory or territories?

"I will answer modestly in my place as a director of a city theatre which indeed receives the responsibility of addressing the local population as a priority. The writing of an artistic and cultural project must be based on an observable situation, taking into account realities. And it is as strong of these specificities that we can open new paths, experiments and truly write a story to share with the population. This is what we call the footprint of a theatre in the city and it is fundamental to me that behind the logic of programming and broadcasting, there is a backdrop, a backbone. The place of the public? It is central through dissemination, EAC, public awareness."

Is it difficult to run a theatre? Is passion the greatest inspiration in your mission?

It is a rare profession and a privilege, a vocation that can be discovered. And great responsibilities. They are attached to the management and its many obligations but especially to the trust that a public gives you.

In a few days, March 8 is International Women’s Rights Day, what do you think about the place of women in the cultural space?

I naturally wrote a season that is based on more than 70% of women creators, writers and directors. It was not an exercise but the highlighting of what I wanted to share with the public this season and it turns out that they are mostly women. And so much the better! My project will have trouble raising the averages which are still low, the professional sector is aware but insufficiently mobilized on the issues of parity.